


The Crimes of our Lives

by chibisgotovalhalla



Category: Vikings (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Crime, Infidelity, Modern AU, Modern Era, Murder, Substance Abuse, Teen Pregnancy, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 05:40:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29537658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chibisgotovalhalla/pseuds/chibisgotovalhalla
Summary: All his life Ragnar has provided for his large family on his ancestors’ farm in Norway, content with the quiet existence growing a farming empire brings. Now he’s getting older, Ragnar considers who will take over his farm and lands. Who will take care of his family when he’s gone, and can he resist re-kindling an old flame from decades ago?Ragnar’s wife, Aslaug, is her family's glue; she keeps everybody together and settles the inevitable disputes that happen daily. Her children are all different, and they are fighting for their place within the family’s hierarchy and the world around them. But will she stay loyal when her husband turns against her, and her family begins falling apart?Mostly grown-up, Ragnar’s sons and daughter have been raised to respect the old ways, the peaceful and dependable structure of country life in Norway’s isolated greenbelt. But times are changing. All but his son Ubbe are discontented with life on the farm, and factions form within the family. With each of them walking dangerous paths that threaten the clan's livelihood, can Ragnar keep his children under control?The Crimes of our Lives explores disasters that can rip a family apart and defines the very word ‘crime’.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	1. Preliminary Information, Chapter 0

**Author's Note:**

> The family dynamic is very complex and I thought it would be best to introduce you to the characters as they appear in my story before posting the first chapter. As each character has their own arc and is working towards different goals, some set-up might help to ease you into the story.

**Gyda:** Gyda feels stifled by her overbearing brothers and wants freedom away from the farm. In her attempt to break all the rules, she ends up pregnant at sixteen. With her bright future in the balance, she has to turn to her brothers for help. But which one should she trust? In this story, Gyda is the youngest child of Ragnar and Aslaug. Age: 16. **Archetype: The innocent.**

**Hvitserk:** As the directionless middle child, Hvitserk wants to make it on his own, live up to Ubbe’s expectations and be respected by his younger siblings. But his involvement in a gang leads him to letting everyone down, when he gets in over his head and is arrested for a crime he didn’t commit. Age: 24. **Archetype: The everyman.**

**Ivar:** Physically disabled, Ivar is unable to make his father proud by working on the farm with his siblings. As the youngest son trying to find his way, crippled by pain and anger, Ivar fights to prove that he is just as capable as his brothers. However, after a run in with the boy who impregnates his little sister, Ivar has blood on his hands and needs help covering it up. Age: 18. **Archetype: The ruler.**

**Ubbe:** Ubbe prides himself on walking in his father’s footsteps, and looks forward to inheriting Ragnar’s farm and headship of the clan. But when his estranged older brother comes home, he has a contender to his inheritance. Everything he knows about the world is blown away when a revelation about his son comes to light. Age: 26. **Archetype: The caregiver.**

**Sigurd:** A desperate young musician hoping to make something of himself in the city, Sigurd loses the ability to play after an altercation with his girlfriend’s brother. During physiotherapy, he develops feelings for a male friend, something he knows his family won’t tolerate. Age: 20. **Archetype: The rebel.**

**Ragnar:** As an aging farmer, Ragnar wants to pass headship of the clan down to his most trusted son Ubbe - the only one who proves capable of managing the inheritance. That legacy is endangered, however, when his ex-wife shows up, and Ragnar feels the old flame reignite. **Age: 63. Archetype: The creator.**

**Aslaug:** Bored middle-age housewife Aslaug tries to keep her family together, despite their problems. But when Ragnar’s first wife and their son show up, she feels witnesses everything she loves slip through her fingers. Age: 44. **Archetype: The lover.**

**Bjorn:** Bjorn wants to reconnect with his estranged father after almost losing his mother. But when it becomes clear he hasn’t exactly been a stranger and that his own business is falling down around him, Ragnar sees him as a threat to the clan. Age: 36. **Archetype: The ruler.**

**Lagertha:** After a near-death experience, Lagertha wants to right her past mistakes, like leaving the man she loved and taking away her son. But Lagertha has more secrets than truths, and it’s only after her death that these secrets are revealed. Age: 65. **Archetype: The Sage.**

**I hope you will enjoy reading this story! Stay tuned for the first chapter, coming soon!**


	2. Chapter 1 - Gyda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feeling stifled by her brothers and longing for freedom, Gyda is upset that she won't be allowed to go to the Halloween party. But when she learns that her love interest Mads might hook up with another girl if she doesn't go to the party, she is unsure of what she will do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please remember to read the previous update for some basic story information, if you haven't already, as it will help ease you into the story's dynamic. I'm so excited to share this first part with you. The next part is coming really soon!

1 - Gyda

Gyda pulls open the zip of her purple galaxy backpack with swift determination. 'Ugh, they drive me insane,' she says, dipping her hand into the secret compartment. She fumbles around until her hand hits the familiar tube of pink lipgloss. 'Have you got a mirror?'

Berit fishes in her own bag and comes up with a small, shiny compact. 'How many brothers do you have? You mention a different one each day. I'm finding it hard to keep up.'

Gyda snorts. 'Oh, it's a big clan.'

She takes the compact mirror offered by her best friend as she smooths the wand across her bottom lip. She checks the line is even, presses her lips together in a hard line to distribute the colour. Then she applies the cherry pink gloss to the top. Her mouth hangs open, so her lips don't stick.

'They treat you like a baby,' Berit says, taking back her mirror and slipping it in the inner pocket of her bag. 'You're sixteen. You shouldn't have to hide a bit of lip gloss.'

'I know.' Gyda zips her schoolbag shut. 'They are so overbearing. Every time I go out, they ask me where I'm going, who I'll be with, if there's going to be any boys there. And my clothes - God, so annoying. Everything is too short, too skimpy, too old for me. I'm as tall as most grown women! I should be allowed to wear women's clothes without the Spanish Inquisition.'

'Agreed.'

Gyda makes a few alterations to her outfit. She rolls the band of her pink skirt over to make it shorter. The top button of her shirt, beneath a fluffy white sweater, is twisted open. She pulls the band out of her neat ponytail, letting down her long sandy hair with a ruffle of her hand. Then she pushes down her socks, exposing more of her legs to the brisk Trondheim wind.

The High School grounds, in the district of Dyrborg, is exposed to the Trondheim Fjord to the north. To the south, it's open to the exposed farmlands of Trøndelag County. Harsh weather systems appear at any given time. Horrid sleet mixed in with gale-force winds batters the coast even in summer. For late October, the weather was relatively settled. Gyda hasn't brought a coat. She regrets leaving it on the back seat of her brother's car.

'I wish,' she says, as they enter the main building, 'they'd leave me be. I want to be who I am and dress how I like. It's not like I'm a slut, or anything like that. I've only ever kissed one boy.'

Berit snorts. 'It's pathetic behaviour - on both your accounts!'

Gyda knows her best friend is teasing, but there's truth in what she says. Her brothers are pathetic. They treat her like a child when the opposite is true. She's taller than most girls her age, and she's sure she's more intellectually mature. She also knows that's she is pathetic too. She's only ever kissed one boy, and that was two years ago. Ever since her brothers started following her around, she's done everything in her power not to give them a reason to hound her.

She knows she can't live like this forever. Eventually, they're going to have to give her the space to live out her life.

They join the herd of students and head up the stairs to maths. From speakers in the ceiling, the bell rings, signifying the start of the school day.

Gyda is exhausted. She struggles to keep up with Berit as the flow of bodies rushes around her. Life on the farm is busy, and she hates getting up to her chores as five-thirty every morning. She's out of breath by the time she gets to the top. She slows down as the students split off down the corridor, heading for classes.

'Are you going on Saturday?' Berit asks.

Gyda's brows knit in confusion. 'Saturday? Where?'

Berit baulks. 'Hello, it's Halloween! There's going to be a party in town.'

'Shit.'

'What's wrong?'

'Of course, it's this Saturday. Ugh! I can't go.'

Berit leans against the wall as they join the line waiting for the teacher to open the classroom. 'Are your brother's taking you trick-or-treating?' she teases.

Gyda shakes her head and leans into her friend confidentially. The last thing she wants is for anyone else to hear how weird her family is. 'It's the Winter Blot for Samhain.'

'The what?' Berit's eyebrows raise as if that's the last thing she expected Gyda to say.

'I know it sounds stupid. It's one of Ragnar's religious things he makes us do because he thinks it connects us to our ancestors.' Gyda rolls her eyes almost hard enough to pull a muscle.

'Wooo-ooo.' Berit wiggles her fingers in Gyda's face.

'Look, I know you think it's all hocus pocus, but my dad believes in it, and my mom does too. If I'm not there, they'll send Ubbe after me. Or worse, Hvitserk.'

Berit shrugs. 'So you're just going to miss the most fun party of the year then?'

Gyda bites her bottom lip as the classroom door opens, and the students file in for two hours of maths. They each stop by the desk at the front of the room as Miss Hansen hands them each a marked assignment.

'This was outstanding work, again, Gyda! The only A-plus in the group again, well done.'

'Thank you, Miss Hansen.'

'During today's lesson, I want you to think about filling in the form for the advanced mathematics program. If you decide you want to take the class, come to me and grab a form on your way out. I'll need your parents’ signature before I can enrol you for the placement.'

'Yes, Miss. Thank you, Miss.'

Gyda heads to her usual seat next to Berit with a heavy heart. She pulls out her candy pink pencil case and a pad of notepaper; her textbook weighs a ton as it slams against the desk.

'Nice job, brainiac!' Berit says.

Gyda sticks her tongue out tartly.

'You know Mads is going to be at the party, don't you?'

Her eyes trace across the room. Mads is looking at Gyda; he's always looking at her. But then, her eyes always seem to land on him. The attraction is there; she can feel it. He's asked her out a couple of times, but she's refused on account of her stupid, crazy brothers.

'I suppose everyone will be there,' Gyda says.

'Yep, exactly. And if you don't come to the Halloween party, then don't expect Mads to wait around for you. Elin asked him out the other day, and I have a feeling he might end up with her if you don't turn up on Saturday night.'

Gyda swallows hard. She hates Elin, and the feeling is mutual. The two have never gotten along. The last thing she wants is to lose out to the most handsome guy in their year group.

Her eyes wander across to the desk near the front again. Mads turns as if he can feel her eyes on him. When he sees her looking at him, he offers a smile and a little wave. Gyda lifts her hand and wiggles her fingers in response. Mads smiles wider, and Gyda swoons. He's gorgeous, and she wants nothing more than to go to the party with him.

It will be her last chance with him. Her blood boils when she thinks of Elin dancing body-to-body with Mads. Kissing him, making out with him. Loving him.

All the things she has the urge to do.

'So what will you do then?' Berit asks.

'I don't know,' Gyda replies. 'If I ask my parents, they'll say no.'


End file.
